COEUR d'ALENE - Payton Sterling has had enough of the training wheels.

For the first time on Wednesday at the North Idaho Fair, the Hayden 5-year-old raced her Yamaha 50 without training devices.

"I'm ready to rocket," Sterling confidently told her dad, Josh, before a few practice laps. "I'm only worried about the whoops."

A new era of motocross at the fair - a young girls division - is being launched this year due to popular demand.

Girls 14 and under can now race against strictly other girls of those ages or continue to race against boys.

After father Dan Pearse approached race promoter Chaun McAlister about the idea of the new division, the proposal was met with open arms.

"At many races the young girls who ride don't race because they are forced into racing against boys who are quite fast," Pearse said. "This great family event is even more family friendly this year."

About 10 girls are racing in the new division. Racing continues tonight at 7 with qualifying heats starting at 4:30 p.m.

Sterling tackled the track like a champion with her dad running behind, occasionally giving the motorcycle a nudge up a jump. After she took a spill, there was no hesitation to resume.

"She's ready to go," a muddy Josh said after the practice run, only to watch Payton speed off.

McAlister said the young girls division is probably overdue, but he hasn't heard of any races that offer it.

"With the growth of women in this sport, it's about time we do it," he said.

McAlister's daughters Celina, 10, and Aleece, 8, are racing at the fair. Celina said she likes the opportunity to race against other girls.

"I like to race with my friends," she said. "It's way better than racing with boys. It's sort of odd when boys are jumping over you."

Ana Pearse, Dan's daughter, added: "Sometimes boys can be really fast, so this makes me feel more comfortable."

Mother Heidi Jo Pearse has no worries about young girls racing.

"I'm not nervous at all," she said, adding that having the proper protective gear is key. "I'm more nervous about other sports than I am racing."

She said the new division is meant to make young girls feel like they're more a part of the outing.

"I think they just need to catch up a bit," she said.

Rachel Karlgaard, 19, who has been racing for about four years, said she wishes there would have been a young girls division several years ago. She has raced primarily against boys, but also enters the division for women at some races.

"When I started out, there were girls racing, but it's definitely gotten more popular every year," she said. "I think it's great because they need to have more girls divisions."